Month three is drawing to a close and I can’t explain the events that have happened thus far. I look back on it all and see a person that went into this thinking that things couldn’t possibly be as bad as what the TV commercials make them out to be. I can actually vouch for it now and say they are. I’ve not only seen it, I’ve technically lived in it, and it’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. This month for instance we (a total of 13 people) have lived in a church that was hand-built by our ministry contact, Nestor, who is the pastor. The roof of this building is made of bamboo and some type of mesh that is pretty tightly woven. Our kitchen consists of a camping stove that has just two burners and no refrigerator. Water sometimes is a hit or miss of whether the shower is going to work or not and it’s always a certainty that it’s going to be cold, however in the heat we are in it’s not so bad. Nestor for the most part takes our trash for us and one day we followed him to where he takes it. It turns out that it is dumped into a river. I’m talking about EVERYDAY trash that we throw away. I couldn’t believe it! Water can’t be drunk directly from the faucet. Every couple of days we must go into town and purchase water to be used for cooking, drinking, etc. In the midst of all that we have a “pet” rat that has made his/her home with us. We’re flattered it chose us.
With all this you would think that I was ready to come home, but it’s totally the opposite. With all my comforts taken away it’s only then it seems I can completely rely on God for everything. It’s in these moments where He chooses to give us joy and peace about the situation. I have to say that not once have I heard complaining from anyone about the conditions in which we live. We are so grateful and still find unwavering joy in the midst, and all of our needs are being met. I’ve not went hungry once, praise God.
We are working with pastor Nestor doing construction jobs and conducting services three days a week. It’s tiring, but well worth the sweat. Sometimes it’s easy to wonder what the heck we’re doing. A few times we’ve had to move a huge pile of rocks from one location to the next by hand and it might only be a few feet away. No heavy machinery to make the job a little less strenuous, but I love it. I just turn it into a workout…haha. That’s one way to stay healthy on this journey. We recently just built a wall for a lady that attends the church who we just found out has AIDs. It was so sad to hear. She has been providing us lunch and serving us as we have served her. She recently lost her husband to AIDs and has 3 children. It breaks my heart for both her and her children.
All around God is wrecking my world and I’m loving every minute of it. He is showing me who He is in a completely different light than what I could have ever discovered back home.
I don’t want to go home. Not now. Not at this time. Not when there is so much to be done here. However, I currently am in need of $3,800 to continue of this. If everyone that reads this just donated $20 I believe God would multiply it and keep me here. I have no clue where the money is going to come from to be honest. I have exhausted all my resources, but I pray God lays it upon your heart to donate and receive a blessing. Just click the support me tab on the left of my page under my picture. My deadline is April 1st. Please join me on this mission to touch lives.
John 3:30
This is the dump in Trujillo, Peru. There is a community of people who live here and their homes are in the background. The smoke you see is burning garbage which is toxic as it's filled with burning plastic and many other things.
